Outdoor Journal writer Jahnvi Pananchikal reported that “This rich philosophy [friluftsliv] is deeply embedded in the pursuit of spiritual oneness between humans and nature.”
Essentially, friluftsliv refers to the way in which mindful engagement with the environment, outdoors and nature can result in insightful thought, spiritual awakening, and improve both mental and physical wellbeing. And there’s evidence to support the theory.
A study conducted by Stanford and published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America in 2015 found that depressed participants who took a 90-minute walk in a natural setting experienced a decrease in negative thoughts.
Furthermore, a recent study by the University of Queensland found that people who visit parks for 30 minutes or more each week are much less likely to have poor mental health than those who don’t, while another study conducted in the UK found that people who moved from urban areas to suburbs with more green spaces, such as trees, parks and gardens, were happier for at least three years after the move, and feelings of contentment that grew over time.
“From observations in psychotherapy we know that mental health and well-being become elevated when people experience some kind of engagement or connection with the larger world, outside of themselves,” says Douglas LaBier, writer for Psychology Today. “Any form of immersion in the natural world, outside of your internal world, heightens your overall well-being, [and is] an essential dimension of true mental health.”
In case this wasn’t enough evidence for you, here’s another five good reasons to get outdoors today.
- It will force you to disconnects from your phone, computer, screens and people. Think of this as in instant detox from information overload.
- It can help you analyse how you feel, what you ant and what you need in your life.
- Being outside and experiencing a new location, fresh scenery, and good old vitamin D is the perfect way to find new inspirations for upcoming projects.
- Reconnecting ith nature will remind you just how big the world is, and that no matter how big your problem is, it can be solved.
- The wide open spaces that you can only find in nature will help you reconnect with feelings of freedom, something that’s hard to come by in dense, urban environments.
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